Circular-knitting machine



H.A.HOUSEMAN. CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE.

No. 522,210. Patented July 3, 1894.

(-No Model.)

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NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY A. HOUSEM AN, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

'CIRCULAR-KNITTING,MACHINE,

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 522,210, dated July 3, 1894.

Application filed December 1, I893- v To aZZ whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, HARRY A. HOUSEMAN, a cltlzen of the United States, residing at Philadelphla, county of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful lmprovement in Oircular-KnittinglVlachines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention has for its object certain improvements in the construction of the cam cyllnder and in its connection with the rack plate which operates it, and its purpose is to prevent the rotation of the cam cylinder when the knitting cams strike an obstruction, as, for instance, sometimes occurs in those constructions in which the cam cylinder and the rack plate which operates it are rigidly connected together, that in the operation of the cam cylinder the needle receives a portion of the yarn which it is difficult for it to operate upon, causing a strain upon the cams.

- And the further action of the cam cylinder often causes the needle either to break at the top, in which case astrain is put upon the guides, or the needles often breaking them or putting them out of shape, and sometimes the shank of a needle breaks remaining fixed 1n the cams, and if it should lie in such a direction as in the travel of the cam cylinder to strike either the needles or the guidesin the needle cylinder, it works to break said guides or the needles. I

The object of my invention is to defeat these defects, and it consists essentially in forming the cam cylinder and the rack plate which operates it so that they are not fixedly connected to each other or are connected by a flexible connection which, ifthe cams in their operation should strike an obstruction, will yield and sever the connection between the cam cylinder and its rack plate enabling a correction of whatever trouble has caused the excess of strain to .be placed upon the cam cylinder, and avoiding the troubles heretofore described.

I will describe an embodiment of my invention, asillustrated in the drawings, althoughI do not intend to limit myself to the specific construction therein shown.

In the drawingsz -Figure 1 is a sectional semi No. 492,423. in model.)

1 elevation of a portion of the knitting machine on the line ccoc of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan on the lines y'y ofFig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detached perspective view of certain portions of the cam cylinder and its connection with the rack plate.

A is the bed of the machine; B the rack plate having the bevel gear, 1), which meshes with the bevel gear 0 driven from the source of; power, as is well known.

D is the needle cylinder, and E the cam cylinder, which in my construction, instead ofbeing rigidly connected to therack plate which operates it, is connected in the following manner: The case of the cam cylinder is provided with a flanged ring 0, which rests in a circular projecting ofiset, b, on the rack plate, which holds the cam cylinderfrom any vertical movement. The cam cylinder is provided with the projections, e, forming between them a jaw.

11 is a post or 'studsecured to and revolved with the rack plate, B. This stud has on its top the head,

. b is a trippet or finger, the end of which is beveled so as to fit in between the jaws, e, on the cam cylinder and having a head with a seat 12 As shown in Fig. 1, the stud b slips through the orifice, I), in the trippetor finger b the head b of the stud resting upon the seat, b v

Between the base of the head of the finger, b and the cam plate, is the spiral spring, 12

' This spring is of sufficient strength to hold the finger, b up against the head, of the stud, b and in engagement with the jaw formed between the projections, e e, so as to revolve the cam cylinder with the rack plate, but if the cam cylinder should strike any obstruction throwing a greater strain upon the finger, 19 than the spring, 19 is able to counteract, the spring would no longerhold the stud andfinger in engagement, and the finger would revolve upon the stud, the character of the joint between-the head 'ofthe post and finger being such as to cause the finger to move downward upon the stud in its revolution, compressing the spring until the finger slips away fromengagement with the jaw on the cam cylinder. While the spring is designed to be sufficiently strong to. hold the finger against the head, 6 in the normal operation of the cam cylinder, it is not de signed to be sufficiently strong to overcome any unusual resistance to the cam cylinders revolution.

By using a spring capable of resisting the desired strain the cam cylinder will be operated by the rack plate underordinary conditions, and if it should strike any obstruction the connection between the rack plate and the cam cylinder would be severed so that the cam cylinder will cease to rotate until the defeet is remedied.

I do not intend to limit myself to any specific form of yielding connection between the rack plate and the cam cylinder, but the same may be varied without departing from my invention, my invention consisting in so connecting the rack plate and the cam cylinder that in the regular operation of the machine the two will revolve together, but if an ab normal strain be put upon the cam cylinder adapted to admit the severance of when the cam cylinder meets wlth unusual resistance.

In testimony of which invention I have hereunto set my hand.

HARRY A. I-IOUSEMAN.

IVitnesses:

FRANK S. BUSSER, J OHN S. CARR. 

